By George, Warnie's fired up

SHANE Warne delivered a withering sledge about Australia's Twenty20 captain George Bailey to a large television audience on Saturday night, confirming that his tongue remains sharp, even if his bowling has waned.

Warne, wired up for Fox Sports, didn't disguise his feelings about his former Melbourne Stars teammate, Bailey, while bowling to him during the Stars' four-wicket win over the Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG.

Hard slog: David Hussey hits out for the Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Saturday night in the Big Bash League win over the Hobart Hurricanes. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo

Bailey had just been dropped by Cameron White at slip for the second time in as many Warne overs when the legendary spinner said to the Fox Sports commentators: ''You would think the Australian Twenty20 captain would smack me out of the park, wouldn't you? Rather than keep nicking me.'' Bailey was dismissed in the next over, caught sweeping White to deep square leg for 28 from 26 balls.

The Stars scraped home with five balls to spare after James Faulkner survived an appeal for handling the ball - bowler Ben Laughlin remonstrated loudly with the umpire - and White holed out to deep mid-wicket, to complete a forgettable night for the former captain.

That left Faulkner and Peter Handscomb to get the remaining eight runs from nine balls.

Bailey was made national captain last summer, replacing White, who was in miserable form at the time. It was a shock appointment, based on the Tasmanian's leadership skills rather than his batting, though he has since made four half-centuries in limited-overs internationals.

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Warne didn't restrict his needling to Bailey, calling down the pitch to tell Hurricane's batsman Scott Styris how he intended to get him out. But the pointed remark about an Australian captain, made by the biggest star in the tournament directly to hundreds of thousands of television viewers, is sure to provoke debate.

The Warne show drew a disappointing crowd of 11,184 to the MCG, continuing the trend of poor turnouts in the early stages of the Big Bash League's second season.

Warne bowled better than his figures (0-31 from four overs) suggested as the Stars restricted Hobart to 8-134. Fifteen runs came from Warne's final over, when Tim Paine lofted him down the ground for four then pulled him for six on the way to a run-a-ball 46.

The battle of the retired champions, Warne and Ricky Ponting, did not materialise, given Ponting's first hit as a retired champion went much the same way as his Test summer. Opening the batting, Ponting played a couple of encouraging strokes before an attempt to flick over the leg side was top edged and he was caught at mid-wicket for eight.

Ponting won't grace the MCG again unless Tasmania plays a domestic final there this season and this was an unsatisfying end.

The Stars were held up at the start of their chase by two maidens - a double shock in Twenty20 - from Doug Bollinger.

Rob Quiney, searching for the powerful touch that got him into the Test team, took some mighty heaves and connected for two sixes in an over from Styris to get the chase moving with 35 from 31 balls while Brad Hodge contributed a crisp 34. It was not a decisive win but the Stars' batting depth proved the difference.

''We're always looking to improve and play the perfect game that coach Greg Shipperd talks about and get a bit more clinical with the batting, but at the end of the day we got over the line and got the points and that's what we came here tonight to do and it sets us up beautifully for the rest of the tournament,'' said Clint Mckay, whose 3-25 included the wicket of Ponting.